The Co-operative Group’s Lea Green depot was out of action for 24 hours just before Christmas, it has emerged.
The 579,000 sq ft former Somerfield depot, which serves hundreds of Co-op food stores in the North West and North Midlands, was hit by a refrigeration pipe leak, a spokesman said. “Operations were impacted for several hours.”
In a new year letter to staff, Co-op Group CEO Richard Pennycook gave a special mention to staff who had “worked flat out to ensure the impact on hundreds of stores was minimised.”
In the letter, Pennycook also revealed Christmas-specific lines in Co-op food stores grew “significantly” on Christmas Eve versus 2013. The society is not updating on Christmas trading this year, only reporting that it sold 60% more own-label Prosecco in Christmas week than the year before.
Pennycook added the society began 2015 “on a vastly improved financial footing compared with January 2014. This year, our True North strategy in food will see us acquiring around 100 more convenience stores and refitting more than 250 existing stores and extending a further 15.”
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